GarryB.

Your posts are meandering dribble, that seeths with your viscios anti-America BS!!! Now listen to someone who has been to Gitmo 6 times over the past 2 years, my squadron is tasked with re-supply runs to keep those vermin alive.
My first trip was in Jan 2002, We flew the approach and as soon as we landed we were swamped by CNN and other news types!! the first person on the jet asks me “Where are the Quorans? (Sp)”
They apparently were a high priority item, and they retrieved them quickly and left!! Now If we were treating them so horribly, why would we give a crap about their religious materials?? I can tell you its not a country club, but its also not a Gulag!!! Matter of fact last time I was there it was 85 and sunny with a light breeze!!
The base itself was leased perpetually, After Castro took over there was some discussions about giving it back, but shortly thereafter Castro began to show his true colors, so we kept it! If Castro didn’t like the situation he would have to take the base militarily, which would be all the excuse we needed to attck Cuba…So a stalemate has existed for 40 years.
By the way after 9/11 Castro has opened up a 4 mile approach zone to the runway…Before it was only a half mile final and was quite tricky to fly in a large aircraft. Many have crashed. So even Castro has helped us out.
Isn’t New Zealand that country with the woman prime minister who has dis-banded your entire Air Force!!!! I sure hope nothing ever happens to you, of course you can talk big, knowing the Aussies will save your bacon!!!!! Hell you can take over the whole country with 2 Cessna’s and a box of grenades!!!!!

Hand-87-5, snowman,and Moggy

Just having a good laugh with the surrender monkey stuff, I’m sure the French are great people, just not to most Americans that I know who visit there, and I know alot of Americans, like airline pilots who travel frequently. It seems as though the French have issues with their Euro bretheren as well. Either way, I’m sure most Frenchmen will be happy to hear I won’t be visiting there.
Moggy,
As per Mel Gibson, evidently He’s a very devout christian, and has rather strong views that border on “extremist” concerning the crusifiction and the Jews part in it. The movie details the last days of Christ and depicts the Jews as having more responsibility for Christ’s demise than the Romans. Jewish groups here in the US are in an uproar as they feel it may cause a backlash against them. I liked that movie where He played a pilot from the 1930’s era who comes back in modern times to find his long lost love, corny plot line but some good aviation scenes.

How about the greatest aviation moment of all time, In the movie “Empire of the Sun” when the English boy sees the P-51’s attacking the Zeroes and everything goes into slow-mo and he screams “P-51 Caddilac of the Sky!!” If you never saw it, rent it, even just for that one scene!! but the whole movie is pretty good.
Take Care.

As a Cargo pilot Preston is correct, Take a look at any Cargo jet from the 727,757,DC-8 A-300 whenever they are on the ground there will be some type of tail-stand or if there isn’t, like in the case of a 727-100 we use the Airstairs for the same purpose.

Hand 87-5, Moggy,

Hand-87-5 Thanks for the info, If you read my post I asked, what it was, and you answered it!!!! either way your still a back stabbing surrender monkey with a 9.3% unemployment rate!!!!! Maybe if you stopped having all those strikes more people would be working!!!

Moggy,
I hear Mel Gibson is producing a movie concerning Jesus Christ, and it is suppossed to put the Jews in a very poor light, Already some Jewish groups here are protesting. You know The US can never ask for a better ally than you Brits!! and by the way the reason why so many people despise the US and Britain is that we are prosperous nations and people will always be slightly envious of others with more. Its human nature, I’m sure in the 1700’s and 1800’s people didn’t like the French as they were quite powerful then, at least until they turned into surrender-monkeys!
who are always on strike, and sucking off the government tit!

Hand 87-5 and Sparky,

I only wish we had a leader like Jaques Chirac, Americans are all jealous of you French!! Whats Unemployment up to now 15% and your tax rates 70% and don’t forget all the respect France has throughout the world!!NOT!!!!!!!
Have a nice day, If your not on strike or anything!

I to am amazed at the size of these orders, Are there many Europeans who travel to the Emerates and Dubai? I know there is virtually zero interest on the American side for a vacation in the middle East. Can these countries become tourist destinations?

Interflug,

Your description of the IL-76 ramp/door sounds very familiar to this C-141 pilot, We have essentially the same system on the Starlifter. The “bulkhead door” you describe is indeed a pressure door, beyond which the rest of the tail is unpressurized. I’m curious about the speed and altitude of this accident. I have opened the doors on the 141 hundreds of times in-flight with troops on board at altitudes exceeding 10K and speeds in the vicinity of 150-170 knots, with no adverse effects, thats what its designed to do!! also at least on the 141 the opening of the rear door takes a little time, at least enough to get away from it! I wonder if the IL-76 is much different?

Sauron, GarryB

This is a major sore spot with me concerning Gulf War one, I was there, even earned a few medals! but I cringe when I hear some people say, “We should have finished the job” eetc etc, What alot of people forget is that there was quite a bit of protests back then concerning the war, the same old tired rhetoric, like “no blood for oil” yada yada yada, Bush Sr made it very clear he only had the mandate to free Kuwait, once that objective was accomplished, any further move would have been viewed harshly by the UN/press. Remember after Kuwait was freed, Saddam and his armies were totally decimated, on the run, and nobody would have bet Saddam would have remained in power for long, So if one American/coalition soldier was killed in an attempt to take Bahgdad the uproar from the press as well as the video of the crying mothers would have been a disaster. I agree we should have finished the job, in hindsight, but at the time it was the right thing to do. As for France, newscasts today are quoting some highly placed sources as stating that soon revelations concerning France’s involvement with Iraq and WMD’s will be revealed and should ultimately lead to the collapse of Chirac’s position, though wre have heard these type reports before, One must assume some of these Iraqii’s are starting to sing like canaries!!!